Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Story Hive is operated by Anthony Obeng Afrane, the data controller, at Christiansborg Castle, Osu, Accra, Ghana, Ghana. Email: info@storyhivegh.com.

This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information when you use storyhive.com (the "Website") to browse, purchase, or read books.

2. Data We Collect

2a. Data you give us directly

• Account registration: name, email address, password (hashed - we cannot read it).
• Orders: name, email, phone number, delivery address, region.
• Contact form: name, email, message.
• Newsletter: email address, frequency preference.
• Comments: name, email (optional), comment text.

2b. Data collected automatically

• Server logs: IP address, browser type, pages visited, timestamp. Retained for 30 days for security.
• Session cookies: essential for keeping you logged in and maintaining your cart.
• Analytics cookies (with consent only): aggregated usage statistics.

2c. Payment data

We do not store your card or Mobile Money number. Payments are processed entirely by Paystack (a PCI DSS-compliant payment processor). We receive only a transaction reference and confirmation of success or failure.

3. Why We Collect It

Purpose	Legal Basis (Ghana DPA Act 843, s.17)
Processing and fulfilling your order	Contractual necessity
Managing your account and book library	Contractual necessity
Sending order confirmation and delivery emails	Contractual necessity
Newsletter and updates	Your explicit consent
Analytics and site improvement	Your explicit consent (cookie banner)
Security and fraud prevention	Legitimate interest

4. Third Parties

• Paystack Inc. (payment processing) - data processed under Paystack's Privacy Policy.
• Google Fonts - fonts are loaded from Google's servers, which may log your IP. You may see a cookie consent banner for this. We are working to self-host fonts to eliminate this.
• Hostinger (web hosting) - your data is stored on servers operated by Hostinger under their Privacy Policy. Servers are located in the EU/USA.
• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data.

5. Cookies

Cookie	Purpose	Consent required?
sh_admin	Admin login session	No - essential
sh_customer	Customer login session	No - essential
sh_cookie_consent (localStorage)	Stores your cookie preferences	No - essential
Analytics cookies	Usage statistics (if enabled)	Yes - opt-in via banner

To change your cookie preferences, click Cookie Preferences.

6. Your Rights (Ghana DPA 2012, Act 843)

• Right of access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure: Ask us to delete your data (subject to legal obligations).
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw newsletter or analytics consent at any time.
• Right to complain: Lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@storyhivegh.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Data Retention

• Account data: retained while your account is active, plus 12 months after deletion request.
• Order records: 7 years (Ghana Revenue Authority requirements).
• Server logs: 30 days.
• Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe.

8. Security

We protect your data using HTTPS/TLS encryption on all pages, bcrypt password hashing, CSRF tokens on all forms, SQL injection prevention (prepared statements), and security headers (HSTS, X-Frame-Options, CSP). However, no system is completely secure. Please use a strong, unique password for your account.

9. Children

Story Hive is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with data, contact us immediately.

10. Contact & Complaints

Data Controller: Anthony Obeng Afrane
Email: info@storyhivegh.com
Phone: +233 24 370 3472
Address: Christiansborg Castle, Osu, Accra, Ghana

For complaints: Data Protection Commission of Ghana.